Running-gear for motor-vehicles.



No. 66|,2IG Patentd Nov. 6, |900 J. W. EISENHUTH.

RUNNING GEAR FR MVOTR VEHICLES.

2 shets sheet 2 VIIH... ,m A

lJOHN W. EISEN HUTH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- 1 i MENTS, TO MAMIE G. READ, OF SAME PLACE.

RUNNlNG-GEAR FOR MOTORFVEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 661,210, dated November 6, 1900.

Application filed January 23, 1900. Serial No. 2,485. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern: represents a top plan view of a running-gear Be it known that I, JOHN W. EisENHUTH, constructed in accordance with myinvention. f a citizen of the United States, residing at New Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal vertical sec- York city, in the county of New York and tion through said running-gear, parts being 5 State of New York, haveinvented certain new shown in side elevation. Fig. 3 representsa and useful Improvements in Running-Gear front end elevation of the said running-gear. for Motor-Vehicles; and I do hereby declare Fig. 4 represents a detail view of one of the 6o the following to be a full, clear, and exact detelescoping shaft-sections, a part of the saine scription of the invention, such as will enable being in section and a part in side elevation. 1o others skilled in the art to which it appertains l in the drawings represents the frame of to make and use the same. my improved runninggear, 2 2 the rear My invention relates to improvements in wheels, and 3 3 the forward guiding-wheels. 65 running-gear for motor-vehicles; and it con- My invention is designed to supply a runsists in a running-gear comprising a frame ning-gear for motor-vehicles which will be joining front and rear wheels, a power-shaft thoroughly braced for supporting the inaconnected with the rear wheels, means for chinery for the motive power and which will imparting motion to the same, means for be capable of being easily guided from place 7o turning the front wheels to guide the vehicle, to place under the control of the operator of shafting connected with the guiding-wheels, the vehicle. The construction of the mechzo means imposed in the said shafting for acanism is such also that power can be imparted commodating the same to the different posito either the rear wheels or the front wheels tions of the guiding-wheels, and means conof the vehicle or to both at the saine time and 75 necting the said shafting with the rear powerin such a manner as not to interfere with the shaft, so that motion may be imparted to steering of the said vehicle.

either front or rear wheels, as may be de- The framing 1 is preferably formed of tubsired. ing, so as to be possessed of great strength,

It also consists in a running-gear compristhe said framing l comprising side bars 4 4, 8o ing a suitable frame, guiding-wheels pivotwhich are mounted upon'the axle 5 of the rear ally mounted thereon, racks upon the said wheels 2 2, suitable bearings being formed 3o wheels, pinions engaging the said racks, and upon the said framing to engage the said axle apower-pinion formovingthesameforchang- 5, as at 6 6. The forward ends of the side ing the position of the wheels for guiding the bars 4 4 are preferably drawn inwardly, so as 85 vehicle, means for turning the said powerto allow sufcientroom for the movements of pinion, and means for connect-ing power with the guiding-wheels 3 3. The rear end of the the wheels of the running-gear for propelling side tubes 4 4 preferably extend beyond the the same. axle 5 suitable distances and are connected 'It further consists in a running-gear comat their rear ends by means of cross-tubing, 9o prising a suitable frame and a power-shaft as at 8. Just forward of the rear axle 5 and mounted thereon connected with a suitable alittle in front of the same is mounted a 4o motive power, shafting connected with the power-shaft 9, the said power-shaft having front guiding-wheels, the said shafting being bearings in an upper frame portion 10 10.

made up of sections connected together by The bearings 11 l1 thus supporting the said 95 means of universal joints, some of said secpower-shaft 9 are braced in position by intionsbeing formed oftelescoping parts,where eline brace-rods l2 and 13, the brace-rods 13 by the shafting may accommodate itself to connecting the same with the bearings 6, the different positions of the guiding-wheels while the brace-rods 12 extend from acentral and still be capable of actuating the same for bearing upon the said shaft, as 14, to the rear loo propelling the vehicle. cross brace-rod 8. The upper brace-rods 10 It also consists in certain other novel con- 10 are braced with respect to the other brace- 5o structions, combinations, and arrangements rods 4 4 by means of the vertical bars, as 15. of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described The front ends of the frame-tubes 4 4 carry and claimed. an axle 16, being readily secured thereto.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 The axle projects upon either side of the framing and carries the guiding-frames 3 3. The rear ends of the upper framing 10 10 are braced by a cross brace-rod 7. The powershaft 9 carries at each end a power-pinion, as at 17,which is adapted to engage the gearing upon the rear wheels 2 2 for propelling the same. Upon the said power-.shaftis mounted 1 a suitable actuating means-such, for instance, as 18 18-which may be of any desired construction.

I nd it very desirable in motor-vehicles to be able to transmit power to the guidingwheels as well as to the usual driving-wheels. For this purpose I mount a shaft 19 in the forward ends of the frame-tubes 10 10. This shaft 19 is connected with each of the drivewheels 3 3, as will be hereinafter more fully described. A connecting shaft, as 20, is mounted in suitable bearings upon the frame of the vehicle and extends from the front shaft 19 to the power-shaft 9. Upon the rear end of the shaft 20 is mounted a bevel-gear 21, which is adapted to mesh with a bevelgear 22, loosely mounted upon a power-shaft 9. A clutch, as 23, is splined upon the shaft 9 and may be moved by a lever engaging an annular groove 24 upon the said clutch in the usual way. The clutch 24 may be thrown into engagement thus with a corresponding clutch formed upon a gear 22, so as to impart motion from the shaft 9 to the shaft 20. The shaft 2O carries at its forward end a bevelgear 25 and is adapted to mesh with a corresponding gear 26, running loosely upon a shaft 19. A clutch, as 27, upon the said shaft 19 is used to connect the bevel-gear 26 with the said shaft when it is desired to impart motion thereto from the shaft 20. lnasmuch as the guiding-wheels 3 3 are pivot-ally mountedv upon the axle 16, it is necessary to engage the shaft 19 with the said wheels in such a manner as to permit the free movements of the wheels in guiding the vehicle. For this purpose I interpose between the ends of the shaft 19 and the wheels 3 3 short telescoping shaft-sections 28 2 8, the inner ends of the said shaft-sections being connected with the ends of the shaft 19 by universal joints 29 29, while the outer ends of the sections 28 28 are connected with short shaft-sections 30 30 by means of universal joints 3l 31. The short shafts 30 30 carry actuating-pinions 32, which mesh with internal gears 33, secured to the wheels 3 3. Thus motion may be imparted from the shaft 20 to each of the guiding-wheels 3 3. The telescoping sections 28 28 are preferably formed with shaft portion 34, adapted to extend into a socket portion 35. A groove is formed in the inner surface of the socketsection and is adapted to register with a groove formed in a shaft portion 34, so as to form a keyway, as at 36, to accommodate a key or spline, as 37. By this means the shaftsections 28 28 can lengthen or shorten, ac- @Ording to the position of the guiding-wheels, and yet will transmit power to the same. The bearings in the upper frame lO 10 carrying the shaft 19 are preferably braced, with respect to the axle 16, by means of the vertical tubes or rods 38.

The steering of the wheels 3 3 also forms an important feature of the invention and will now be fully described. A yoke or segment, as 39, is secured to the inner surface of the wheels 3 3. These wheels are made with a stationary central web portion and a revoluble rim port-ion. While these wheels may be of any desired form of this general class, yet I preferably construct them in a similar manner to that described and shown by me in an application for patent applied for upon even date herewith. The segments or yokes 39 39 thus rigidly secured to the web portions of the wheels are .capable of controlling the wheels perfectly and turning them on their pivot-points and directing the vehicle in'its movements from place to place. Mounted upon shaft 16 and meshing with each of the racks 39 39 are intermediate pinions 40 40, which connect the racks with a centrally-arranged actuatingpinion 41, also mounted upon the shaft 16. Connected to the shaft of the said pinion 4l is a spiral gear-wheel 42, which meshes with a corresponding spiral gear carried by the inner end of a short shaft 44. To the outer end of the said short shaft 44 is also secured a spiral gear 45,which mesh es with spiral gear 46, mounted upon the lower end of a vertical shaft 47. The shaft 47 extends upwardly from the steering mechanism and can be allowed to project through the floor of the vehicle to a point within easy reach of the operator of the vehicle. The shaft 47 is provided at its upper end with a hand operating means-such, for instance, as a handwheel 48. By turning the hand-wheel 48 motion is transmitted therefrom through the spiral gear and the short shaft 44 to the actuating gear-wheel 4l. This gear-wheel in turn transmits motion through the intermediate gears 40 40 to each of the segments 39 39. It will be apparent that by this means the guiding-wheels 3 3 may be moved simultaneously in a proper direction to carry the Vehicle one way or another, as may be desired. The use of spiral gears for communicating motion to these parts makes it possible to hold the parts rigidly in any adj usted position, and yet admits of a quick and easy manipulation of the wheels to properly guide the vehicle.

It will be apparent from the above description that by my invention a vehicle may be provided with power mechanism so con nected with the rear wheels as to be capable of propelling the vehicle by means of the same and that when desired the forward guidingwheels may also be connected with the said motive power toassist the rear wheels in propelling the vehicle. This not only adds greatly to the power with which the vehicle is driven because of the increased traction, but is very convenient where one or more of the wheels are engaged in a slippery place and cannot get good contact with the substance over which IOO IIO

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they are passing. It will also be apparent that I am enabled to connect the guiding-wheels with the motive power without interfering with the movements of the said wheels necessary to the guiding of the said vehicle. It will be further seen that the guiding-wheels are under the perfect control of the operator of the vehicle through the steering mechanism. It will be observed that the construction of the frame is such that the runninggear is strongly braced in all directions, and though the frame may be made comparatively light yet it will be very strong.

`Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- I. A run ning-gear for vehicles comprising aframejoining front and rear wheels,a powershaft connected with the rear wheels, means for imparting motion to the same, means for turning the front wheels to guide the vehicle, and shafting connected with the revoluble rims of the guiding-wheels, and means imposed in the said shafting for accom modating the same to the different positions of the guiding-wheels and means connecting said shafting with the rear power-shaft so that motion may be imparted to either front or rear wheels, substantially as described.

2. A running-gear for vehicles comprising a suitable frame, guidingwheels pivotally mounted thereon, segments upon the nonrevoluble webs of the said wheels, pinions engaging the said racks and a power-pinion for moving the same for changing the position of the wheels for guiding the vehicle, means for turning the said power-pinion and means for connecting the power with the wheels of the running-gear for propelling the samesubstantially as described.

A running-gear for vehicles, comprising a suitable frame, a powershaft mounted Jthereon and adapted to be connected with a suitable motive power, a rim driving mechanism for actuating the front steering-wheels comprising a jointed shaft made up of sections, universal joints connecting the said sections, some of the sections being formed with telescoping parts, whereby the shafting may accommodate itself io the different positions of the guiding-wheels and may be led to the rims of the said wheels for actuating the same, substantially as described.

4. In a running-gear for vehicles, the cornbination with a power-shaft having pinions for driving the rear wheels of avehicle, means for actuating the said power-shaft, a longitudinal shaft carried by the said framing and having a gear meshing with a gear on the power-shaft, means for throwing said latter gear into and out of engagement with a gear on the transmitting-shaft, a shaft mounted upon the forward end of the said frame and connected by means of bevel-gears with the longitudinal transmitting-shaft, a clutch for bringing the bevel-gearinto connection with the said forward shafts, short shafts connected with the revolving rims of the guiding# wheels of the vehicle so that it may actuate' the same, telescopic shafts connecting the short shaft with the ends of the forward shaft and universal joints interposed between the parts of the shaft, the construction being such that power may be transmitted to one set ot' wheels or to both sets of wheels for the better propelling of the vehicle, this construction not interfering with the guiding of the vehicle, substantially as described 5. A running-gear for vehicles comprising upper and lower frame portions, the lower frame portions resting upon the axles of the vehicle, rigid axles supporting the frame, guiding-wheels having non-revoluble web and revoluble rim portions, brace-rods for supporting the upper frame in position upon the lower frame, a power-shaft mounted .upon the said upper frame, and inclined braces for bracing the power-shaft and the upper frame rigidly in position, substantially as described.

6. In a running-gear for vehicles the combination with asuitable frame of power mechanism mounted thereon, guide-wheels having non-revoluble web portions pivotally secured to said frame, segments secured to the web portions of the said guiding-wheels and projecting inwardly therefrom, and gearing for engaging the said segments to turn the wheels, substantially as described.

7. In a running-gear for Vehicles the coinbination with a suitable frame on axles supporting the same, guiding-wheels secured to the end of one of said axles, the guidingwheels being pivotally adjusted to the said axles so as to turn vertically with respect to the same, yokes or segments rigidly secured to the said guiding-wheels and projecting inwardly therefrom, intermediate gears meshing with the segments, said gears being pivotally mounted upon the said axle, an actuating gear-wheel also mounted upon said axle and engaging each of the intermediate gears, a hand operating means engaging with the said actuating-gear whereby the guidingwheels may be turned simultaneously to guide the vehicle, substantially as described.

S. In a running-gear for vehicles the combination with a suitable frame, guidingwheels connected therewith, ,segments secured to said guiding-wheels, intermediate pinions meshing with the said segments, an actuating-gear engaging the said intermediate gear, a spiral gear connecting the actuating gear-Wheel with a short shaft, a spiral gear connecting the short shaft with a hand operating-shaft whereby the guiding-wheels may be turned simultaneously for guiding the gears of the vehicle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. EISENIIUTH.

Witnesses:

FnN'roN S. BELT, VAN BUREN LAMB.

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